The present invention relates to an assembly for locating and/or restraining loads carried on trays of trucks or other vehicles.
The present invention relates particularly, although by no means exclusively, to an assembly for locating and/or restraining loads in the form of coils of metal strip, such as steel strip.
Metal coils are typically very heavy, ranging from two to eighteen tonnes but most commonly between four and twelve tonnes, and difficult to handle. An important consideration for transporting metal coils is to locate and then restrain the coils securely on a truck tray. Metal coils are usually transported on their sides, i.e. on the outer circumference of the coils, to facilitate handling the coils via forklifts or other lifting devices onto and off truck trays. This is an inherently unstable orientation for metal coils, and given the weight of coils, is a potentially very unsafe way of transporting coils. Hence, it is necessary to locate and then securely restrain metal coils to truck trays. Typically, this is achieved by using blocks of timber contained within coil racks not attached to the tray to act as forward and rearward chocks and chains that are passed over the coils and secured to truck trays. However, the use of timber chocks and coil racks is unsatisfactory because of the heavy weight of the timber and the racks and the manhandling required to locate the chocks properly in the first place and then removing and stowing the chocks after a truck reaches a destination and offloads the coils.
An alternative to the method above, other than the present invention, is a device known as a Robo-rack™ which is used, one per coil, to secure product on a tray. Each Robo-rack device weighs in the vicinity of 250 kgs unladen and must be lifted on and off the tray with a fork lift, crane or similar mechanical lifting device prior to and after use. The Robo-rack device renders the tray unusable on a return journey due to its weight and the space it occupies on the tray.
The present invention provides an assembly that is particularly well-suited for locating and/or restraining metal coils and other loads on truck trays.
According to the present invention there is provided an assembly for locating and/or restraining a load carried on a tray of a truck or other vehicle that comprises:
(a) at least one line of openings, for example in the form of keyholes, in the tray at spaced intervals along at least a part of the length of a truck tray; and
(b) at least one chock for locating and/or restraining a load against forward or rearward movement on the tray, with the chock having a member that is adapted to be received in the openings so that the chock can be located in a selected position on the tray.
The combination of the members (which may be formed as locking members) and the openings is a convenient and effective means of securely locating a chock on a tray. More particularly, the arrangement takes advantage of the inherent strength and rigidity of the tray structure to locate, and preferably securely retain, the chock in a selected position. The use of a line of spaced-apart openings provides an opportunity for considerable flexibility to position the chock on the tray. Moreover, the arrangement makes it possible to use chocks that are relatively lightweight compared to blocks of timber. This is an important issue from the health and safety viewpoint. Such chocks are considerably easier to lift and locate on a tray and to store when not being used. Moreover, such chocks make it possible to reduce the time currently required to locate and/or restrain a load on a tray.
There may be a constant spacing between the openings in the line. Typically, the spacing is in a range of 50-150 cm, measured as a centre-centre distance between adjacent openings in the line.
The line of openings may extend substantially along the length of the tray. Equally, the line of openings may extend a part of the length of the tray only.
The openings may be any suitable type of opening. By way of example, the openings may be keyholes.
The member may be a locking member to retain the chock in the opening.
The keyholes and the locking member may be a turn-key arrangement whereby the locking member extends outwardly from a base of the chock and engages a selected keyhole when the chock is positioned by an operator so that the locking member extends into the keyhole and the base is on the tray and the chock is then rotated 90° about an axis perpendicular to the tray to position the chock in the right orientation relative to the tray and to lock the locking member in the keyhole, with the tray supporting the chock in the selected position on the tray.
The chock may be a relatively compact and lightweight unit compared to blocks of timber and coil racks conventionally used as chocks.
More particularly, the chock may be generally triangular in side view and comprise a base for contacting the tray and two inclined walls extending from opposite ends of the base and connected together at upper ends and forming an apex of the chock.
Typically, the chock is formed from sections of plate steel that are welded together to form a triangular shape.
Typically, the chock comprises cut-outs that form a hand grip for ease of lifting the chock. The hand-grips also minimise the weight of the chocks.
Typically, the tray includes a recess that defines a storage position for the chocks.
The angle of inclination of one of the walls of the chock relative to the base may be selected so that the wall is suitably inclined to act as a contact surface for a load in the form of a metal coil.
There may be at least one pair of parallel lines of the openings, with each line being positioned symmetrically on opposite sides of a centre-line of the tray.
There may be two or more pairs of lines of the openings.
The assembly may also comprise at least one bearer that is coupled to the tray and can be moved from a storage position to an operative position in which the bearer extends at least partly across the tray and can act as a support for a load on the tray.
Typically, the storage position of the bearer is in a recess in the tray
The recess may be a channel extending lengthwise of the tray.
The assembly may comprise a pin or other pivot connection means for coupling the bearer to the tray so that the bearer can be swung between the storage position and the operative position.
The bearer may have a locating member extending from an underside of the bearer that is positioned to extend into an opening such as a keyhole in the tray when the bearer is in the operative position, and the locating member and the pivot connection means being spaced apart on the bearer and adapted to retain the bearer in the operative position.
There may be two bearers, each bearer being positioned on opposite sides of the centreline of the tray and forming a coaxial unit when in respective operative positions.
Typically, the assembly comprises a plurality of the bearers or pairs of bearers at spaced intervals along the length of the tray. The bearers are particularly suitable for supporting long products, such as bundles of steel reinforcing bars and plate steel and steel channels and steel pipes, above the tray so that fork lifts and other mechanical lifting devices can gain access to the products to load the products onto and to off-load the products from the tray.
According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle such as a truck that comprises a tray and at least one line of openings, such as keyholes, in the tray at spaced intervals along at least a part of the length of a truck tray for receiving and supporting chocks for locating and/or restraining a load on the tray.
The vehicle may also comprise at least one bearer that is coupled to the tray and can be moved from a storage position to an operative position, with the operative position being a position in which the bearer extends at least partly across the tray and can support a load.
The tray may comprise a recess in an upper surface of the tray that defines the storage position for the bearer.
According to the present invention there is also provided an assembly for locating and/or supporting a load carried on a tray of a truck or other vehicle that comprises at least one bearer that is coupled to the tray and can be moved from a storage position to an operative position in which the bearer extends at least partly across the tray and can act as a support for a load on the tray.
Typically, the storage position of the bearer is in a recess in the tray
The recess may be a channel extending lengthwise of the tray.
The assembly may comprise a pin or other pivot connection means for coupling the bearer to the tray so that the bearer can be swung between the storage position and the operative position.
The bearer may have a locating member extending from an underside of the bearer that is positioned to extend into an opening in the tray when the bearer is in the operative position, and the locating member and the pivot connection means being spaced apart on the bearer and adapted to retain the bearer in the operative position.
There may be two bearers, each bearer being positioned on opposite sides of the centreline of the tray and forming a coaxial unit when in respective operative positions.
Typically, the assembly comprises a plurality of the bearers or pairs of bearers at spaced intervals along the length of the tray.
According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle such as a truck that comprises a tray and the above-described assembly for locating and/or restraining a load on the tray.